Hot Topics:

Colo. poised to take lead in aerospace industry, business leaders tell CU

University leaders hear about state's workforce needs at regents retreat

By Brittany Anas Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
07/22/2011 08:29:32 PM MDT

Updated:
07/22/2011 08:30:19 PM MDT

KREMMLING -- Colorado could be poised to be a leader in the aerospace industry now that NASA's epic shuttle program has shuttered and the private sector will play a more significant role in space exploration.

But Tom Clark, vice president of the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, told the University of Colorado regents at a meeting Friday that some businesses are deterred from setting up shop in Colorado because the state invests such little money in universities, which are important research partners for the aerospace sector.

The university, at a retreat at President Bruce Benson's mountain ranch, hosted a panel of business leaders to discuss how the campuses can better groom graduates for the needs of the state's workforce.

The board heard some harsh criticism -- including a complaint from Diane Schwenke, president of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce -- that CU doesn't "turn the ship around fast enough" to meet workforce demands, such as the recent shortage of nurses.

And Clark told the board that CU is perceived as not being a good partner with other research universities in the state. He said partnerships like the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory among the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, CU, Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Mines as an example that pleases business leaders.

Other complaints included the "party school reputation" that CU has received and how that can devalue degrees.

Advertisement

But programs like "Alternative Spring Break," which sends students on service-oriented projects, were praised. Renny Fagan, president of the Colorado Nonprofit Association, said there are 28,977 nonprofit organizations in Colorado, a 37 percent increase over the past decade.

Clark said Colorado ranks 49th in the nation for higher education funding. He said business leaders ask him: " 'Are you systematically dismantling higher education, and why are you doing that?' Can I really truthfully say, 'No, we're not?'"

State funding to CU has declined to $146 million. In 2003, the school received about $226 million.

NASA this week completed its final Atlantis mission, which draws to a close the three-decades-old space shuttle program, and Clark said "billions of dollars are being poured into the aerospace industry."

CU has consistently been one of the top schools to receive funding from NASA. Boulder campus faculty members, staff and students receive about $50 million annually for space research.

The university will continue to partner with NASA and the private sector for space exploration, said CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano, and it is well poised to continue its leadership role in the sector.

CU scientists are partnering with Sierra Nevada Corp. in Louisville, which will be instrumental in ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station in the future.

Sierra Nevada has been developing the Dream Chaser Orbital Space Vehicle, a program to transport crews and cargo to the International Space Station in a reusable spacecraft. The vehicle is expected to be operational in 2014.

Boulder is pretty good at producing rock bands, and by "rock," we mean the in-your-face, guitar-heavy, leather-clad variety — you know, the good kind. For a prime example, look no farther than BANDITS. Full Story